Here's When You Can See 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

First a director, now a release date. Just one week after Sam Taylor-Johnson signed on to direct the adaptation of E.L. James' erotic novel, Universal Pictures announced fans can see it in theaters Aug. 1, 2014.

Still, there's lots of work to be done before August. Not only do Taylor-Johnson and the films' writers need to figure out how the hell you turn the poorly written X-rated book into a cinema experience, but Fifty Shades' main characters still need to be cast. Who can play Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey? Taylor-Johnson's recent run-in with Robert Pattinson got tongues wagging (especially since Christian Grey began as a fan fiction version of Edward Cullen), but, really, it's anyone's game.

Though how it could be anyone but Ian Somerhalder is beyond us.

Image: Vintage Books